One Star House Party
After a bit of a rocky debut back in January, ex-Noma chef James Sharman is back full force with his pop-up One Star House Party, taking up permanent residence at the iconic Soho Printing Press—where his team will showcase one pop-up dinner per month based on inspirations and ingredients from their travels around the world. In addition to having perhaps the coolest location for a pop-up dinner in Hong Kong, the One Star team seems to have worked out their kinks and recently served a pretty standout meal, with personable service adding a whole new depth to the dining experience.

Each dish comes with its own interesting back-story—whether it’s finding a new technique for creating the most onion-y onion broth of all, or sourcing fresh lemons from the team’s road trip through California for one of their desserts featuring baked lemon shells. The food—though small in portion-size—is carefully thought out and clearly executed with passion, and the whole experience an experiment in breaking the barrier between dining room and kitchen. We can’t wait to see what they cook up next month—and if it’s anything like that piece of slow-cooked beef with pumpkin seeds and purée that we’re still dreaming about, Hong Kong is in for a treat…

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Figaro
After opening with an extensive selection of wines earlier this year, French wine bar Figaro has finally got its kitchen license fixed and it’s out of the gate with a bang. Helmed by chef Jonathan Irwin, previously Chef de Cuisine at Wan Chai’s Restaurant Akrame, Figaro’s dishes appear rustic and simple yet feature innovative twists and interesting flavor combinations that have us hooked. The best part is that most dishes clock in at under $150, so you can share several plates over a bottle or two of wine. Start off with a classic French cheese and charcuterie platter: ours featured a decent selection of cold meats and rillettes, plus comté and camembert cheeses. The langoustine tartare ($115) is beautifully presented with a clear cucumber consommé poured over at the table to refresh your palate. In the pollock and asparagus ($140), the fresh fish is brought to life with salty pops of salmon and herring roe, edamame and a creamy oyster and gin emulsion. Save room for the whimsical desserts, from a deconstructed tarte tatin ($85) which features a cheeky smear of black garlic, to the elegant poached white peach ($85) with a light lemongrass sorbet that we wish we could take home by the tub.

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Mad For Garlic
​Get ready to suffer from serious garlic breath: Korea’s popular Mad For Garlic chain is riding into Hong Kong, bringing a scary amount of garlic-themed dishes to either entice—or repulse—diners. We’re firmly in the former camp, and can’t wait to overdose on the pungent bulb, in dishes ranging from “garlic snowing pizza” with shrimp and fried garlic to “garlicpeno pasta” and garlic sirloin steak heaped with sautéed garlic and crispy garlic chips. In addition to stocking “garlic-friendly” wines, Mad for Garlic claims that its garlic is more round in flavor and less spicy and pungent due to the soil structure from the region in Korea where it’s harvested—nonetheless, after a full meal of garlic dishes, we’re betting you’ll want to avoid human interaction for a good five to six hours. Let’s just hope the flavor is worth the social cost.